WESTERN DISTRICT FARMERS' CLUB.

Southland Times, Issue 1300, 29 August 1870, Page 2 (Supplement)

WESTERN DISTRICT FARMERS' CLUB.

(FKO3I A crBEESPONDEST.) The above club held a special meeting at Gummy's Bush on the 12th inst. ; the president--, Mr James ReM, in the chair. The office-bearers for the ensuing year were elected as follows:— "Mr James Mackintosh president, Mr John M'lntyre vice ditto, Mr John Gumming secretary, and Messrs Francis, Potts, Bath, M'Clyinont, Calder, Gumming, Younger, Fallow, and Hamilton committee. It was agreed to hold the meetings at Flint's Bush alternately with Gummy's Bush. Mr M'lntosb. read the following paper on " FARMING AS IT IS, AND AS IT OUGHT TO BE CARRIED ON IK SOUTHLAND." Gentlemen, — I have to call attention to the practice of constant cropping gener- < ally adopted by the agriculturists of this province; and having seen the results produced by the system elsewhere, I have no hesitation in raising my voice against it. Constant cropping has produced blight, takeall, &c., in Australia, Tas—iimuid? o,ir<i — JtuMHwiir-smd will assuredlydo the same in Southland unless a better j system of farming is adopted. Some 15 j years ago the grain crops of Victoria were equally healthy with the Southland crops of the present time. Shortly after the period mentioned, blight first made its i appearance at Moonee Ponds, near Melbourne, and gradually extended up country, choosing exactly the localities where cultivation had first commenced ; so much so that the manner in which cultivation had formerly proceeded could easily be traced by. following the blight in its ravages. Nothing can be more disheartening to look at than a whole district laid waste by blight. The corn may grow luxuriantly for two or three months, when brown spots begin to appeal*, which rapidly extend until thousands of acres are destroyed, a few patches being left here and there— the rest vanished. The same state of matters exists to a considerable extent in Tasmania ; and recent accounts from. California mention that blight has made its appearance there, and has been attributed to the same cause — " the no rest system." It has been said that nothing is easier than pointing out an cvil — the difficulty being to provide a remedy. The remedy in this case is simple, and quite within our reach. The farmer having made choice of good land for his operations must retain the fertility of the soil by deep cultivation, and giving the land periodical rest, instead of vainly endeavoring to restore its fertilising qualities after the evil has been accomplished. To retain therefore the fertility of the soil, and keep the land in a vigorous condition, capable of producing good and profitable crops, I would propose that on small farms no more than two-thirds of the cultivated land contained in the same should be put under crop at one time ; the remaining third to be ploughed deeply, and from two to three inches — iir „,... ....n i -x -^--ai —^-e~~ left fallow to sweeten and pulverise until seed time of the following year; then to be ploughed lightly and put.j under crop, a third portion of the farm to j be treated in the same manner each year, or, ia other words, after the land has grown two crops, then to be ploughed i deeply, bringing up new soil, and fallowed ' for a season. I may mention that my remarks apply entirely to land originally of good quality. The farmer who attempts j cultivating inferior land in a new country has but. a small chance of success. He j will find sufficient difliculties to contend with, such as " bad roads, distant markets, dear labor," &c., without that most ruinous drawback of all, poor land. It is a well-known fact that where really good land exists in this colony and in Australia, the soil is invariably deep— often from 18 inches to 4 feet— which, by deep cultivation and exposure to the action of the atmosphere, will continue to give good crops for centuries to come. I have known farms in Victoria, originally fine land, which after 15 years of "constant cropping" was considered worn out. On examination, however, it would be found that not more than 5 inches below the surface ijad ever been ploughed, and this unfortunate 5 inches had been turned over for fifteen years, first one side, then the other. No manure had ever been applied, and no new soil turned up, although 2 feet deep of splendid soil lay below, requiring only stirring up and exposure to the atmosphere to render it available for producing fine crops. In addition to keeping the land in good heart, the system I wish to see adopted will effect a saving in outlayjfbxworking stock, implements, and labor of at least one half, this being accomplished chiefly by dividing the work of the iarm more equally over the whole year ; the present system requires the ploughing, harrowing, &c, to be done in a few months. For example, a farm of say 120 acres under cultivation now requires 2 ploughmen, 2 pairs of horses, 2 ploughs, 2 pairs harrows, &c. ; whereas one ploughman with pair of horses, plough, harrows, <fee, will be found quite sufficient to put in the crop on the same farm in the following manner —viz., after harvest plough the 40 acres of land fallowed the previous year, and sow it with wheat or oats, and finish harrowing before the end of April. May, June, July, and August plough 40 acres of the land- under crop the previous year; and sow in September with oats, barley, &c. October, November, and December plough 40 acres to lay over faljow for next season. It may be said as there will be 40 acres less under crop than formerly, then of course the stacks in the farm yard will be a third fewer in number, after harvest ; but not so. I fully believe that taking an average of aeven years it will be found that 80 acres, treated in the manner I have mentioned, will yield more grain than 120 acres in " constant cropping," especially if seed for 40 acres for seven years, and harvest expenses for the same period are taken into account. On large farms where sheep can be kept to advantage,

it is an easy matter, not only to keep up the fertility of the soil, but to increase it considerably. Say, for instance, a farm of five hundred acres cultivated as follows: — 100 acres one year laid down for pasture with artificial gra>ses 100 acres Iwo years do do 100 do three do do do 100 do under grain crop 100 do ploughed for fallow Supposing that it has taken three years to lay down the 300 acres of artificial grasses, or 100 acres in each year. At the end of the third year it will be found I in regard to the 100 acres first laid down, that° although the grasses may still exist, yet the period of its most vigorous growth has passed away; the stock do not relish it as formerly, neither does it afford them anything like the same amount of feed. To maintain the vigorous growth of the artificial grasses, and produce abundant pasturage for sheep, it will therefore be necessary to plough up and fallow every year 100 acres of the pasture land that has attained the age of three years; also to put under grain crop the 100 acres fallowed the former year, and sow o-ras3 seed along with the crop. ~ I/and onginailfof "good quality laid down with grasses, and pastured with sheep for three years, then ploughed and fallowed for twelve months, and cropped, will yield at least 50 bushels of grain per acre ; and as grass seed is sown along with the crop, immediately after the harvest the same land will give splendid pasture for sheep. The whole of the work required to be done in carrying out the foregoing from year to year can easily be performed by one man and a team of horses, employing a double furrow plough — viz., after harvest, plough 50 acres of the fallowed land, choosing the portion fallowed in the winter of the previous year ; finish sowing with wheat in April ; May and June, plough grass land for fallow, 50 acres ; July and August, plough the remainder of the fallowed land (50 acres), and sow the same in September ; October and November , plough 50 acres more for fallow. I have not referred to the propriety of applying whatever manure is produced on the farm, as every good husbandman will see the necessity of doing so. Growing root crops for consumption on the farm would tend greatly to increase the quantity of manure at his disposal; and I trust the time is not far distant when a considerable patch of turnips and carrots will be grown by every farmer to give his cattle in the winter. The secretary read the prospectus of the Southland Farmers' Association. After considerable discussion the following resolution was unanimously carried — " That Kiverton being the seaport for the Western District, it is not advisable that the farmers of the Western district should join an association whose operations will be carried on in InvercargilL Besides, the objects contemplated in this prospectus are by far too numerous, and altogether foreign to an association whose aim should be to assist the farmer." Iv support of a farmers' co-operative association being formed, various speakers ■ -*■■»— gij- —-/i"^ <■■•" <-V»" '"""ting t^o "p^ftssity of united effort on the part of the Western District farmers to enable them to dispose of their produce to the best advantage — the association to have a store in Riverton to receive produce for sale in the best market, or for exportation, advances to be made on the same when required, and to import and supply shareholders and others with goods. The following gentlemen were elected as a special committee to draw up a prospectus to be submitted to next meeting, viz. : — Messrs John Potts, William A. Lyon, P. L. Francis, John Allison, Albert Cassells, John M'lntyre, John Cummiug, James Mackintosh, and Ross Robertson. Owing to the almost impassable state of the main road between Gummy 's Bush and Groper's Bush, it was resolved, that Government be communicated with, requesting that some arrangements be made with the owners of the land adjoining the worst places of the road, so that public traffic may pass through their paddocks till the road is repaired. The club gratefully acknowledges receipt of the financial statement of the hon. the Colonial Treasurer. A vote of thanks to the retiring officebearers and the chairman, terminated the proceedings.